Ethiopians head to first polls amid conflict crisis
Ethiopians headed to the polls on Monday amid widespread nationwide unrest, famine, and a raging humanitarian crisis in the country’s Tigray region.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed readies for his first real test at the ballot, in what will be Ethiopia’s first multi-party election in 16 years.
With the polls initially planned for August last year, the race to elect a new parliament has been postponed twice due to the coronavirus pandemic and logistical constraints, as opposition movements raise concerns about the integrity of the June 21 ballot.
Ethiopia has long been divided along ethnic and political lines, and the growing mistrust between its warring ethnic groups places the forthcoming election on shaky ground in the East African powerhouse, which has a population of more than 100 million people.
Abiy, the 44-year-old prime minister, who is a recipient of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, is expected to be reelected if his ruling Prosperity Party (PP) garners the highest votes in the federal parliament.
Abiy’s chances at the ballot have grown seemingly brighter following recent moves by some leading opposition figures to boycott the election, citing government crackdown on prominent rivals.
“Abiy’s government has blocked the opportunity for free and fair elections by jailing opposition leaders, creating frivolous ‘competitors,’ and leaving no room for truly competitive elections,” said Gudina Merera, the leader of Oromo Federalist Congress, a party representing the Oromo people, Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group.
“As we have been insisting, any democratic election must take place after a meaningful national dialogue, the release of all political prisoners, and the opening of our forcefully closed offices throughout Oromia. We won’t participate in a sham election and give it legitimacy,” Merera wrote on Twitter.
Many opposition figures in Oromo have been held in government custody since the killing of a popular Oromo singer by unknown gunmen last year sparked massive unrest in the region.
The US State Department said in a statement last week it “is gravely concerned about the environment” under which Ethiopia’s elections will be held.
“The detention of opposition politicians, harassment of independent media…and the many interethnic and inter-communal conflicts across Ethiopia are obstacles to a free and fair electoral process…,” the statement said.
Among 47 parties participating in the general and regional elections, Abiy’s Prosperity Party leads the chart on the number of registered candidates contesting for seats at the parliament with a total of 2,432 aspirants. This is closely followed by a rival party, Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice, which has fielded 1,385 candidates in the election, where around 37 million of Ethiopia’s 109 million people are registered to vote.
However, many Ethiopians in conflict-ridden areas will have to wait until September to cast their ballots when the second round of voting will be held. CNN
